High Five for Nepal’s Rhinos

Posted on

10 April 2018

Kathmandu, Nepal – Nepal’s antipoaching success gained higher ground with the celebration of another year of zero poaching of rhinos. As of 9th April, not a single rhino was killed in the last 365 days making it the fifth time that Nepal achieved this success since 2011.

Nepal’s zero poaching success stems from a coordinated national response, which is driven from the centre and implemented at grassroots level, including enhanced protection efforts within national parks and surrounding buffer zones, involving the use of new approaches, such as the highly effective Real-Time Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) patrolling.

Bed Kumar Dhakal, Chief Conservation Officer of Chitwan National Park said: “The completion of zero poaching year for rhinos is indeed a commendable feat. To keep up this success requires the continued support of everyone to keep our wildlife protected.”

Nepal is home to 645 rhinos of which 605 are found in Chitwan National Park alone. Poachers had last killed an adult rhino in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park on 8 April last year.

Dr. Ghana S Gurung, Country Representative of WWF Nepal said: “Nepal is probably one of the leading countries when it comes to showcasing antipoaching results. The learnings from this success, while replicated across Nepal’s conservation landscapes, can be a good resource for countries that are in the fight together against poaching.”